RetroDaze

Wolfman's
Got
Nards!

OFFICIAL

RetroCon 2017 Report

CONTEST WINNER!

Benjanime's Halloween Retrospective

CONTEST WINNER!

Russell - The Black-Eyed Simpson

Don't mess
with the bull.
JOIN!!!

5 COMMENTS

RETRORATING: 7

FAVORITED 1 TIMES

TDitH's Favorite Macy's Thanksgiving Parade Floats

By: ThatDudeintheHoodie

The time has arrived once again. Food, family, friends, and wine. Yes, Thanksgiving has come and so has the tradition of the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade. The sights and sounds of the parade are always welcomed. While the musicians, balloons, and musicals are all nice, the most interesting part is the floats, as many of them change each year. I've picked out three of my personal favorites to share.

Santaland Express (1995)

For some reason trains and Christmas go hand in hand. But this one has some history behind it. Debuting in 1995, the Santaland Express is actually a train owned by Macy's that has been modified to be a float. It is also known as the Golden Eagle Express.

Bands that have played on this float are Jimmy Fallon and The Roots and Mannheim Steam Roller.

In 2013 the float broke down due to the possibility of running out of gas or losing power. It was supposed to be behind the Adventure Time Finn and Jake balloon but managed to return after the On The Roll Again float.

I enjoy this float more for its history than the look of it. I still like the old style train look. But it is a real, retired train that was repurposed as a float in a well recognized parade, giving it new life for a time.

Polar Express (2005)

The coming of the Parade usually means Christmas is right behind it. This float makes you well aware of that. In 2005 a float for the film was shown in the Parade to celebrate the first year that the film was released. It was also the twentieth anniversary of the book it was based on.

The float itself looked amazing, with great detail and a good use of forced perspective with the mountain looking further back and the train cars wrapped around it. Kids would also walk alongside the float as conductors. While the float retired after 2006, the costumes have been used with the Domino Sugar float.

Performers on the float were Brian McKnight and Natalie Grant. Both sang the song Believe, a song from the film originally sung by Josh Groban. However in 2006, the float was accompanied by the Florida Special Needs Color Guard.

Tom Turkey (1971)

Tom Turkey is the parade's oldest and most reoccurring float in the parade's history, as it has been a staple since 1971 (save for one missed appearance in the 77th parade, having been replaced that year by a balloon). The first incarnation of Tom Turkey was from 1971-1992. From 1993 to 2017 we saw the much larger second version, which has been revamped for the 2018 season to make him more mobile. Tom also got a Ballonicle in 2015 and 2016 in the parade.

I enjoy this float not only for the history, but for how animated it is. Not many floats have moving parts and they are usually simple movements when they do move. Tom moves his neck, eyes, wings, and head. It still impresses me to this day.

While there isn't much to say about Thanksgiving itself, the festivities are always something to remember, and the parade is as much a tradition in American Thanksgivings as the food. So raise a glass, give thanks, and from me to you all, have a great Thanksgiving.

All I wish for you is to live life and live nostalgic.

Looking for more from ThatDudeintheHoodie?

READ 172671 TIMES

Antique Store Finds Part 2

Here we are again, ready to wander the aisles of massive Antiques Mall in search of childhood treasures of decades gone bye. Part 1 brought us everyth...

Antique Store Finds Part 1

Before ebay became the go to source for locating knick-knacks from our childhoods, we had get ourselves to a local antique store and dig through a lot...

The Mega Haul of Christmas 1986

Over the last month, I spent quite a bit of time working on, and writing an article for the Christmas season here on RetroDaze. In it, I go into...

Family Road Trips

The Vacation movies starring Chevy Chase gave us a hilarious view of one father’s journey to deliver his family the ultimate road trip. By comp...

James Bond Jr. Remembered

In 1991 the James Bond movie franchise was in limbo. 2 overly serious films starring Timothy Dalton in the late 80’s had flopped and the original ch...

1986: The Year That Santa Became Real

4 years old…..I have no real memories of Christmas that year other than my Grandfather passing away in the first week of December. 5 years old…...

Christmas Conundrum

Christmas ConundrumGrowing up, it was just my brother and me. He battled with a speech impediment all through elementary and took supplementary classe...

Babylon 5

Every once in awhile, a piece of a television show, book, or movie comes along and rocks you to the core. It extends beyond the range of entertainment...

The Video Store Clerk

My first job was working at a Blockbuster Video. It was a great job that I didn’t fully appreciate until years after I had moved on. Since video sto...

MOST RECENT RETRORATING FEATURED OFFICIAL

Go to page: